#Jim’s situation is presented as funny but it’s also a horror story

[guardian-of-soho]

For how tender and domestic (and “quiet and romantic”) the new season is, there’s such an endless sense of hovering danger around the little haven of the bookshop in the present day (not to mention the flashbacks). It’s implied they’ve been left alone a few years; but it’s clear the peace is ending.

From the moment “Jim” arrives we’re never left a minute without the shadow of Heaven or Hell darkening the doorstep of the bookshop and their safety, until the night the last-ditch dance to hold Heaven off turns into Hell coming over the threshold. They’re not left to peace. They’re not allowed to find their human happiness — not via the dance nor even by their one big kiss — not so long as Heaven and Hell want them gone. Not so long as their love stands as the threat to Eternity that it is.

That’s the only way I can make any sense of Aziraphale’s return to Heaven. They never left him alone, and for all he seemed sure of himself in helping Jim hide from them, and wooing Crowley amidst their invasions, and even refusing the Metatron at first — he must have felt the end approaching. He must have known that whatever was done to Jim could be done to him too.

He could lose himself. He could lose his capacity to protect Crowley, or Soho and the humans he loved. He could lose all memory of what had been so precious to him, worth defying Heaven for, and why he was on Earth, and who he could trust, and why.

Others have pointed out how determinedly he ignores Crowley’s fear amid the dancing. I think — I hope — that it’s not that he doesn’t want to hear him. It’s that he is pushing back his own fear to reach for happiness; it’s that he needs so badly to let him know he loves him, before it’s too late. He needs to have a moment’s romance. He knows “too late” is coming.

And then it’s there.

And still when Heaven offers him a way to dodge the doom they bring, he refuses point blank until they promise he can buy Crowley’s safety by his surrender. (And it is a surrender, for all he says he believes he’ll be in charge. Within moments of losing Crowley he’s giving the Metatron the same fake smiles and feigned agreement he’s always offered Heaven. He’s leashed again.) He wants their safety, he wants it unassailable, and I hope that’s the first reason he went back. (I don’t imagine the promise of their approval meant nothing to him. I think he wants their power and their praise. But I don’t believe it was what he wanted first.)

He’s just watched their haven (our shop!) invaded by Hell, and then by Heaven, and then watched two traitors in love, the heads of their sides, driven to the far reaches of the universe under threat of being followed — that’s not the end he wants for him and Crowley. He doesn’t imagine Heaven can be as sweet for them as Earth; but he believes their days on Earth are numbered. I think having watched their refuge breached so easily has had the same effect on him that watching it burn had on Crowley — nothing feels safe anymore; nothing feels permanent.

But Crowley’s reaction was “I want to spend whatever time we have left together as far away as we can get,” Aziraphale’s is “I want to invade the heart of the threat and turn it into home.” They’re so terribly brave; and they’re so in need of some humans showing them how to face down a threat together instead of running or joining it. I want to watch a replay of the airfield last stand, and the bookshop battle, but with power enough on their side to win Earth’s permanent peace.

I want Crowley and Aziraphale both to decide that even without Adam’s power or any particular prophecy or a tangible plan, they’ll take their chances on the humans’ side for good and all, and count it worth the dangers. And I want to see them win. Earth’s side has been theirs; they deserve to be sheltered and saved by it, too.

#good omens #good omens 2 #ineffable husbands #a/c #the new season is honestly so scary for how sweet it is #Jim’s situation is presented as funny but it’s also a horror story #he was so close to losing everything and never even knowing it had happened #there’s no way Aziraphale didn’t think about that happening to him

[shirtlesssammy]

9x12: Sharp Teeth

Then:

Garth’s missing and has been for seasons

Now:

Grantsburg, Wisconsin

In a cow tipping gone bad, we find our hero Garth on the side of the road, after meeting the wrong windshield of a passing car. GARTH. 

Sam and Dean must be on the outs again, because when Sam heads to Garth's hospital room, he finds Dean there, ready to stick a needle in our favorite Bobby 2.0. The room is frosty. 

Dean’s ready to inject Garth with adrenaline to get some answers. You always were more dramatic than necessary, Dean. Sam just slaps him, and he wakes up screaming. “Am I in heaven?” “You’re in Wisconsin.” (So....not Heaven then. Natasha wonders why the brothers never hunted a hodag.) He doesn’t remember that he killed a cow --and tells them he was on a hunt, before bolting for the bathroom. 

The brothers talk about their mutual adventures since parting ways in the wake of the Gadreel situation. Dean tells Sam about the Mark that Cain gave him to kill Abaddon. 

During their talk, Garth ran from the brothers. Sam heads to interview the farmer that caught Garth killing cattle. Dean heads to look for security footage of where Garth may have run. The farmer tells Sam that the killings on his farm were ritual. Dean gets an updated sighting of Bigfoot.

For Cryptozoology Science:

Oh, lol, show, you’re so funny.)

Dean also lies to Sam about what he found, but he’s dealing with Sam Fucking Winchester, so Sam finds out right away that Garth stole away in a well marked station wagon. 

The brothers draw a truce to work one more case. Lol.

They track down Bess Meyers, the woman that helped Garth escape, and bust down the door of Garth's hideout. Sam and Dean case the place to find Bess. She pops out, fangs ready, and attacks. Garth runs to protect her from Sam. 

Garth tells the brothers that he’s a werewolf. 

He tells them his monster origin story. He was hunting a werewolf and was bit. He knew his fate was sealed, so he was going to off himself. His beloved, Bess, found him and saved him though. They’re married and he’s a part of her family’s pack. 

Garth and Bess ARE SUPER cute. She praises him for his self control on only eating cow hearts. She also explains that werewolves, like herself, are also born not bitten. Dean and Sam want more proof than Garth’s word about this pack, so Garth invites them back to meet his new family. 

Dean heads there alone, and walks into a 1950’s white person dreamscape (I thought these were supposed to be good werewolves?) 

Garth introduces Dean to Bess’s father, Reverend Jim. Dean won’t shake his hand, and Garth excuses his rudeness with a flippant, “Dean’s got this crazy fear of germs.” (I love how well Garth knows the Winchesters). They invite him to dinner. 

Garth spills that Dean loves pie. 

Dean watches in horror as the family digs into their raw heart dinner. He asks about their faith (more cultural appropriation, less god), and the silver bullets around their necks (a reminder of the fragility of life). Reverend Jim gives Dean the revenge is bad talk (TOO LATE). 

Backstory outline because I’m too lazy to type up something eloquent: Bess’s mom died. Rev. Jim married Joy. Her father was the previous reverend to this little group of spiritual lycanthropes. 

Sam interviews the sheriff about the family. He doesn’t have much to say about them or the town. 

Bess’s cousins corner Dean in the kitchen, but Garth finds them and asks to talk to Dean alone. 

Garth makes his case again that this is a good family. Dean lets it drop for the present, but does bring up what’s really gnawing at him. Why did Garth leave without a word? Dean doesn’t take to family ditching him easily. Garth was embarrassed and didn’t know how to explain his new life. He still thought of everyone though. Dean drops the news: Kevin is dead and he doesn’t want to talk about it. 

Later that night, Dean and Sam survey the farm. Sam thinks that they’ve run into an entirely friendly bunch of monsters, when they get a phone call from the Sheriff. There’s a mutilated deer out in the woods. When the Winchesters hunch over the carcass, the Sheriff WOLFS OUT. The werewolf sheriff - or WHERIFF - trains a gun on them, but a hurled silver knife to his heart puts a quick stop to him. They find a silver bullet around his neck with “ragnarok” inscribed on it. 

Sam and Dean split up. Dean heads to the church for some late night reconnaissance while Sam breaks into Garth’s place. Dean finds an old book of norse mythology and starts all-the-webbing “ragnarok.” Sam calls. 

Sam reports that Garth’s place is trashed and neither Garth nor his lady are near. Dean gives Sam a quick story hour. Ragnarok is the tale of Fenris the wolf who kills Odin before the world ends. He thinks the werewolves are part of a cult, which is gearing up to destroy all humans. End-of-world cults in rural communities? It’s more common than you think! Sam heads out to find Garth, when he gets knocked out by two smirking werewolves. SAMMY your soft little noggin! (He should really wear head protection at all times.)

Dean hears something stir in the church. It’s Reverend Jim heading inside. He hears Dean’s heart in an instant. “You must have done this countless times,” he notes. “You still get nervous.” 

Dean demands to know more about the Maw of Fenris, the werewolf conversion cult. The Rev. Jim vows that the hateful teaching in that book used to be part of their beliefs but they moved past it. We learn that the pastor doesn’t know anything about existing cult members.

Cut to Garth waking up trussed to a ladder in a barn. Bess is tied up as well, and they watch as Sam is dragged in, unconscious. 

The stepmom Joy sashays in, smacks Bess (rude), and tells her that everyone there is going to suffer because Garth attracted hunters to their little town. 

Dean busts out of the church, frantically calling Sam. He tears out after his brother. Garth confronts Joy, who reveals that she’s out for vengeance. Her brother was killed by a hunter, and it broke her resolve to live the way her husband wanted - in peace with people. Her dad, she reveals, preached the ragnarok beliefs. “As long as there is man there can be no peace. Because man destroys.” 

Dean sneaks up on all the werewolves guarding the property and kills them one by one. Joy reveals her plan: She’ll stage Bess’s killing as a hunter-instigated murder and her husband will be so blinded by revenge that he’ll turn away from his peaceful teachings and fully embrace ragnarok. 

Dean roars into the barn in a fighting  leap. He kills one werewolf and holds a quick shootout with Joy. She goes down in a single shot.

The next day, Garth bids farewell to the Winchesters.

Dean concedes that Rev. Jim is a good man, but Garth still confesses to feeling guilty about disappearing - and about Kevin. Dean tells Garth that Kevin’s death is his own fault. Garth suggests that he could hunt with the Winchesters (he’s SO STRONG) - he wants to do the right thing. Dean tells him to stay. “Who cares where happiness comes from? Look, we’re all a little weird. We’re all a little wacky. But if it works, it works.” 

Dean tells Garth to stay with Bess. He uses their preferred terminology - lycanthropes! “Somebody’s gotta live to tell this damn story someday. Who better than you?” Dean pulls Garth in for a hug and I think about an ending with Garth as an old man telling a story about the Winchesters - and he does this all while working on somebody’s teeth. The series ends with some fanged youngster toddling away from Garth’s dentist chair looking vaguely shellshocked.

The Winchesters drive to their motel and Sam’s waiting car. Sam gets ready to head out on his own again, when Dean stops him. Dean claims that he was messed up when he left (me, knowing the future: on honey just wait)

“Somebody changed the playbook, man. What’s right is wrong and what’s wrong is more wrong.” Dean tries to make an overture to Sam to ride together. Sam tells him there’s something broken between them. He doesn’t trust him after the church and the angel possession. Sam tells him he’s ready to WORK with Dean but he isn’t going to be a BROTHER to him. Dean feels super duper great about this. They drive off, the best of friends!

Garth Quotes Fitzgerald IV:

Now, he could start a fight in an empty house. But deep down inside, he's just a big ol' teddy bear

The road to revenge is a dark and lonely one

I found it. Love and a family...who cares where that comes from?

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive!

#spn recap #dean winchester #sam winchester #garth fitzgerald iv #spn 9x12 #sharp teeth #supernatural season 9

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 10 September 2018

Quick Bits:

 Archie: 1941 #1 is fairly morose and downbeat in tone and execution as a recently graduated Archie Andrews seemingly sleepwalks through this opening chapter, depressed and anxious about the future, both in terms of what he wants to do with his life and with the growing fear of the war in Europe. It’s not bad, elevated by wonderful art from Peter Krause and Kelly Fitzpatrick.

| Published by Archie Comics

Birthright #31 returns after an extended break, opening a new arc following Kallista and Brennan, while diving into the backstory of Mastema. I like Joshua Williamson taking us off down this thread and the art from Andrei Bressan and Adriano Lucas is as beautiful as always.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Cemetery Beach #1 is a very entertaining start to this new action/sci-fi mini-series from Warren Ellis, Jason Howard, and Fonografiks. It’s been a while since I’ve seen some of Ellis’ dialogue be this funny, but it’s very welcome.

| Published by Image

Champions #24 tackles the increasing problem of school shootings with the added intersection of a world with superheroes. Now, that may sound like a recipe for disaster, condescending patronizing or an after school special with saccharine solutions, but that’s not what’s presented here. Jim Zub, Sean Izaakse, Marcio Menyz, Erick Arciniega, and Clayton Cowles instead present a thoughtful story of the helplessness of the situation, that you really should pick up and read for yourself.

| Published by Marvel

Crowded #2 is as good, possibly even better, than the first issue as we get further development of Vita and Charlie’s characters, and a broader understanding of many of the facets of the series’ world. This really is a great comic, wonderful humour, amazing premise, interesting characters, and beautiful art. Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Tríona Farrell, and Cardinal Rae have something special here. Don’t sleep on it.

| Published by Image

Exiles #8 is a good jumping-on point, as the team’s history is explored and the issue sets up a new group of antagonists in the Watchers. Saladin Ahmed is doing a great job of building these characters and making their unique alternate realities interesting. Nice guest art this issue from Joe Quinones, Joe Rivera, Jordan Gibson, Chris Sotomayor, and Muntsa Vicente. 

| Published by Marvel

Fantastic Four #2 has a couple things in its opening page that could be considered problematic, the first in its depiction of an alien race that could be an analogue to the racial stereotype of Native Americans as the “noble savage”, the second is of the sexualization of a child. Neither are particularly endearing in how they’re presented and I’m kind of surprised they made it to print.

That being said, the rest of the issue is pretty good. It’s the kind of sci-fi adventure you’d expect from the FF, though it does feel like we’ve been dropped in at the end of an adventure we’ve never seen, and it has beautiful artwork from Sara Pichelli, Elisabetta D’Amico, and Marte Gracia.

| Published by Marvel

Hot Lunch Special #2 is just plain great storytelling. Eliot Rahal, Jorge Fornés, and Taylor Esposito are crafting a crime story here that is the perfect storm of characters, plot, and execution. It’s dense and heavy, navigating through the Khoury family and their shock at the death of their youngest, masterfully told through both dialogue and art.

| Published by AfterShock

Iceman #1 isn’t a bad start to a new series from Sina Grace, this time with Nathan Stockman and Federico Blee joining him for the art duties. While still cracking wise a bit, this seems like it’s going in a much more serious direction than some of Grace’s previous series. Great art, and an interesting hook for a new group trying to “cleanse” mutantkind.

| Published by Marvel

Infinity Wars #3 gives us the twist in the tale that’s going to deliver most of the tie-ins and spin-offs for the series, as Gamora remakes the world and causes the fusion of various heroes. It’s an idea we’ve seen before in things like the merged DC/Marvel Amalgam universe, which could be fun depending on where the creative teams take it.

| Published by Marvel

MCMLXXV #1 is kind of a mash-up of different 70s exploitation film genres, creating an interesting action horror story from Joe Casey, Ian MacEwan, Brad Simpson, and Rus Wooton. MacEwan’s art is very nice, reminding me a bit of Troy Nixey, with some interesting character designs and wonderful depictions of the action.

| Published by Image

Mech Cadet Yu #12 concludes the series with a final battle between the robos and the Sharg, again following the important themes of teamwork and sacrifice. This has been a very entertaining, action-packed story from Greg Pak, Takeshi Miyazawa, Raúl Angulo, and Simon Bowland.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Oblivion Song #7 is the big answer to the Transference, maybe, as the series turns itself on its ear again with more sweeping changes. I really quite like how Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo de Felici are keeping us on our toes as the series keeps pressing forward. 

| Published by Image / Skybound

Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #309 concludes this two-parter focusing on Sandman, with gorgeous art from Chris Bachalo and his army of inkers. This one’s a lot more action-oriented than the quiet reflection upon death in the first chapter, but it’s still very satisfying.

| Published by Marvel

Runaways #13 begins a new arc with some incredible guest art from David Lafuente and Jim Campbell. Along with the return of Alex Wilder, this drops in another old threat for the team, leading to one of the more action-packed issues of the series so far. Still, amidst the chaos, Rainbow Rowell still has a laser-focused eye for character development, giving us some interesting reactions to Wilder’s return.

| Published by Marvel

Scales & Scoundrels #12 concludes this two-part arc with Dorma and with it the series for the foreseeable future. This has been a great all ages fantasy adventure series from Sebastian Girner, Galaad, and Jeff Powell, and I wish it had have caught on better since the quality has been extremely high. Great characters and beautiful art, I do hope they find a way to bring it back in some form, and I highly recommend people to check out the series in the collections. 

| Published by Image

Volition #2 is another beautiful comic. The artwork from Omar Francia is gorgeous with a nice polished sheen to the colours that enriches this world of sentient machines.

| Published by AfterShock

Weapon H #7 continues to be more entertaining than anyone probably thought possible. Though I really quite like Cory Smith’s art, I’m thinking that Ario Anindito’s is even more suited to the weird, alien creatures of this turn in the story.

| Published by Marvel

The Wrong Earth #1 is a solid debut, kicking off new publisher, Ahoy’s, foray into comics. It’s a nice package with a lead story, a back-up comic, some interviews, a one pager, and a short story. It gives nice value for what you’re picking up, especially when you consider the talent involved. 

The lead story from Tom Peyer, Jamal Igle, Juan Castro, Andy Troy, and Rob Steen is the main draw, though. It’s a rather brilliant premise of a superhero crossing alternate realities, switching from a kind of Adam West Batman-esque quaint, bright world to a much darker grim and gritty world, and vice versa. It’s executed very well, capturing the tone and atmosphere for both takes perfectly.

The backmatter also nicely enhances the experience, particularly the back-up comic featuring Stinger from Paul Constant and Frank Cammuso, presented in a kind of retro comics fashion. And a suitably bonkers adventure prose story from Grant Morrison, with illustrations by Rob Steen.

| Published by Ahoy Comics

X-23 #4 pushes further to paint the Cuckoos as out and out villains now. Which is a bit of a shame, much like with Emma Frost, but I can’t deny that Mariko Tamaki isn’t doing something interesting with them and the story overall. Also, Juann Cabal and Nolan Woodard continue to deliver stunning artwork.

| Published by Marvel

X-Men Blue #35 takes a moment for each of the time-tossed original five X-Men to chat with their present day counterparts about going back to their own time, while flashing forward to the seemingly nightmarish future that would exist if they stayed. Obviously with Extinction going on events are a bit out of order, but I still like the handle Cullen Bunn has had on these characters.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Accell #14, Amazing Spider-Man #5, Astonisher #10, The Beauty #23, Dejah Thoris #8, Charlie’s Angels #4, Daredevil #608, Domino #6, Farmhand #3, GI Joe: A Real American Hero #256, Head Lopper #9, Joe Golem: The Drowning City #1, Journey Into Mystery: Birth of Krakoa #1, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Tempest #2, Low Road West #1, Mage: The Hero Denied #12, Moth & Whisper #1, Ms. Marvel #34, Nancy Drew #4, The New World #3, Ninja-K #11, Old Man Logan #47, Proxima Centauri #4, RuinWorld #3, the seeds #2, She Could Fly #3, Sleepless #7, Star Trek: The Next Generation - Terra Incognita #3, Star Wars: Darth Vader #21, Star Wars: The Last Jedi #6, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #36, Venom: First Host #3, Wasted Space #5, The Weatherman #4, The Wicked + The Divine #39, World of Tanks: Citadel #5

Recommended Collections: Anthony Bourdain’s Hungry Ghosts, Dissonance - Volume 1, Dry County Complete, DuckTales - Volume 3: Quests & Quacks, Elsewhere - Volume 2, Infinity Countdown, Infinity Countdown Companion, Kick-Ass - Volume 1, Koshchei the Deathless, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Volume 6, Oblivion Song - Volume 1, Slam: Next Jam, Star Trek: The Next Generation - Through the Mirror, Star Wars: Darth Vader - Volume 3: Burning Seas, Star Wars: Thrawn, Strangers in Paradise XXV - Volume 1: The Chase

d. emerson eddy did not start a joke that started the whole world crying.

#This Week in Comics

[haveyouseenmymind]

A Handmade Gift

Wohoo, I wrote something for Christmas! Actually, I wanted it to be all fluffy and light but then feelings happened and this is what you get now. :D

Happy holidays for you all! :)

Fandom: Star Trek AOS

Pairing: McKirk

Rating: Gen

Words: 2453

Leonard gets Jim a special Christmas gift: He knits him a sweater.

Leonard is annoyed. Way more than annoyed. This isn’t surely how he imagined spending his only free evening in the week.

And all of that trouble just because he opened his damn mouth in front of nurse Chapel. Now he has to sit here and knit that damn woman some fancy cashmere scarf.

As he hears the door to the dorm he shares with Jim swish open and then being closed, he knows that his noisy roommate found his way back home.

A few seconds later said annoyance enters the room and stops immediately when his eyes catch sight of Leonard grumpily working the needles.

“You’re knitting.”

Leonard huffs. “Congrats Captain Obvious, seems like those baby blues of yours are doing their job just fine.”

Jim just smiles brightly at his quip and Leonard wonders again if that guy is ever offended by anything that leaves his mouth when he is in a sour mood.

“How come that I’ve never seen you knitting before?”

Jim curiously eyes the rows he has done so far and suddenly it is hard to concentrate on his needles any longer. He sighs, drops them into his lap and rubs his tired eyes.

“I wasn’t really in the mood for it. But I was stupid enough to mention it in front of Christine and now she threatened me to spill my secret if I didn’t knit her a something for Christmas.”

Leonard watches as the grin spreading on Jim’s face turns into boisterous laughter. Of course that ass would make fun of him.

“Oh for fucks sake, stop laughing, that’s not funny. I have a reputation to keep”

Even as he growls the last words, his best friend won’t stop giggling at him and he considers if he should hypo his ass into oblivion.

“Oh beware the world to find out that doctor McGrump is in reality a warm and cuddly kitten.”

Leonard is definitely not amused. That idiot really needs to learn to watch his tongue if he doesn’t want to be surprised with a hypospray out of nowhere.

“If I were you I would shut my trap. I know all about your allergies. It would be really unfortunate for you to suffocate in your sleep, Jim.”

“Nah Bones, you love me too much to really kill me.”

Jim keeps on smiling and it surely starts to annoy Leonard for real, since there’s nothing funny about his miserable situation. But after a few seconds Jim’s smile changes into something the doctor hasn’t seen on the blond’s face before. It becomes wistful, reaches his eyes and Leonard watches them as they change their colour from icy blue to the shade of the unruly sea during a thunderous storm.

Leonard is taken aback. Of course he knows that there is more behind the carefree façade of his best friend, but he rarely shows his vulnerable side even in front of him.

“It’s really nice of you to take the time to craft something for Chapel, even if you’re so moody about it. I don’t think that I ever got something handmade. It must be nice to have someone who willingly spends so much of their time thinking of you while they are working to make you a personal present.”

Leonard doesn’t really know what to say to this heartfelt confession and he can’t tear himself away from the emotions running through those stormy blue orbs.

Before he finally gets the chance to react in any way, Jim puts his fine spun mask back onto his face and the moment flies away as if it never had existed.

“Well, good luck with the scarf, Bonesey. I have to go to my next course, just wanted to grab my PADD.”

Leonard watches Jim as he rummages through the chaos on his desk, till the blond seems to have found the PADD he was searching for and goes back to the door in order to flee from the thick atmosphere that is still overloaded with emotions.

“See you later Bones! Don’t wait for me, I’m going out with Gaila tonight.”

With those words he is gone and Leonard is left back in confusion as he can’t understand what the hell he has just witnessed happening.

At night when he listens to the deafening silence in the room that normally is filled with Jim tossing and turning in his bed, Leonard can’t find his way into a peaceful sleep.

Every time he closes his eyes, those sad blue orbs won’t stop hunting his thoughts.

In the end he makes a decision and once again he wonders, what he has gotten himself into.

So Leonard gets some soft yarn mixed out of merino and alpaca fibres in commando gold to knit his best friend a damn sweater.

For the next few weeks Bones knits during his breaks at the hospital and he is close to giving up a few times, but every time those sad blue eyes find their way back into his mind, he begrudgingly takes up the needles again.

Trying to bind Christine to secrecy with the scarf was for nothing, as by now all the nurses have seen him swinging the needles and cursing at the stitches in the break room.

The worst of them all is of course Chapel who won’t stop bugging him.

“Don’t think that I can’t see your smug smile Christine. This is entirely your fault.”

But the damn woman ignores him sending her dirty looks as she calmly sips on her coffee. Apparently, her nerves are made of steel, and although he would never dare to say it out loud, he envies the CMO that gets to work with her in the foreseeing future.

“The other nurses are either awing about what a doting boyfriend you are or want to ask you out themselves. It’s really adorable how you’re sitting here brooding over the wool.”

Leonard drops the needles in surprise and growls another streak of obscenities.

“What the hell? Jim is not my boyfriend. We are only friends and by coincidence also roommates. How the hell do you meddling harpies get the idea of us being together?”

Christine doesn’t look convinced and to his absolute horror she stares at him like he’s the biggest idiot on the planet.

“Well, you’re knitting him a sweater.”

That’s her argument?

“So? How does this make me his boyfriend?”

He still can’t see where she’s going with that train of thoughts and he’s not quite sure if he really wants to find it out.

“You’re knitting him a sweater. For Christmas. That’s something you do for a family member. Or for your partner.”

She looks at him like the cat that got the cream, and he really wishes again he could wipe that smirk of her face.

“I made you a scarf, but that doesn’t mean that I suddenly want to marry you.”

Her smug smile suddenly turns into a questioning frown and he’s quite pleased with himself for gaining this small victory.

“That’s different, since you tried to bribe me. And a scarf is something simple compared to a sweater.”

“I tried to bribe you? You blackmailed me into knitting that scarf, because otherwise you would have told everyone about it. And look where it got me, now none of the other nurses will leave me alone or stop giggling around me. I had to tell Jack that I’m really flattered but not interested and now he won’t stop sighing.”

Christine stands up and heads for the door, but before she disappears she turns around to annoy him one last time with that smug smirk back on her lips.

“Well, your story is a real tragedy, but you know I have to look after patients. Stop moping and get back to finishing your lover’s Christmas present.”

And with those words she finally leaves him alone.

“Dammit woman, Jim and I are just friends!”

But is Jim really just his friend?

Leonard curses Chapel for putting those thoughts into his head, he can’t shake them off and they are following him into his dreams where they are not Jim and Bones but Jim and Bones.

He’s constantly tired and moody and still trying to finish that darn sweater. And Jim who’s so finely tuned to Leonard’s moods becomes skittish around him, walks on eggshells as if he’s afraid that his best friend is going to lose his temper any minute now.

It’s too much for him to see Jim so careful and anxious around him and he takes on more clinic shifts where he gets some distance from his roommate and can finish his present without the chance of Jim bursting into the room and ruining the surprise.

Chapel and the other nurses mostly leave him alone, like they know that he’s working through some shit in his head. So he lets himself think about the blue eyed menace that won’t leave his mind alone.   

Of course the kid’s good looking, Leonard is not blind after all, and otherwise half the academy wouldn’t be lusting after him.

But it’s more than that. Jim has been the only constant in his life for a while now, he’s made it clear that he’s going to stay by Leonard’s side and that he values their friendship more than anything else.

Jim somehow carved himself a place in Leonard’s life and heart and now he isn’t able to imagine himself without the blond troublemaker by his side.

And he can’t help himself, but wonder how this all happened without him noticing anything.

This goes way deeper than just simple friendship, but he doesn’t know where it begins and at what point it ends.

Moreover, he’s rather sure that it’s not only him. Jim may think that he’s subtle, but Leonard has caught the blond more than once gazing at him with that strange look in his eyes and until now he didn’t know how to interpret it.  

So he keeps on knitting until he finishes the sweater in the last few days before Christmas and comes to the conclusion that he really needs to talk with Jim about whatever there is between them.

And if everything’s working out in his favour he’s going to take Jim home with him to Georgia.

When he’s going home after his last day of work, he has the sweater under his arm and he’s grumbling again about how annoying Christine is.

He simply wanted to give it to Jim without any fuss, but the darn woman insisted on proper packing and now he’s making his way to their dorm with an abomination of shrill-coloured packing paper and a silly fringed ribbon.

Of course he protested, but it’s not as if he has much to say when the stubborn woman has her mind set on something, so he let her pack the sweater to get a rest from her nagging at him about the aesthetic of presents.

When he’s finally back home he finds Jim on his bed reading one of his PADDs. His gaze immediately shifts to the package under his arm and Leonard can see how curious the kid is.

“Bones? What’s this?”

“It’s nearly Christmas you idiot, what do you think it is?”

He throws the present at Jim who tears the packing and Leonard has never been so grateful for the brat’s impatience as he’s finally able to get rid of the horrible packing paper.

“That’s a sweater.”

Leonard groans, sometimes the kid is really slow for a genius.

“Wait, is this handmade? Did you knit me a sweater? Oh my god, Bones! Did you knit me a sweater!?”

The kid’s curiosity turns into absolute joy and he’s looking at Leonard with sparkling blue eyes. He pulls the commando gold sweater over his head and Leonard has to admit the colour makes Jim’s eyes shine even brighter.

And Jim just throws his arms around him for a bone crushing hug and hides his face in the crook of Leonard’s neck.

“Jim? Are you ok?”

Jim sniffles, obviously trying to hold back tears.

“You were gone the last days and I thought you were finally fed up and avoiding me. But you made me a sweater, and oh god Bones, I don’t know how to thank you. Really, thank you so much, Bones. This is the best present I ever got. I don’t know what I’d do without you. You are the most important person in my life.”

“Jim.” Leonard’s voice is heavy from the feelings overwhelming him and he has to swallow the lump in his throat down when the blond is finally looking at him with teary eyes.

And he’s looking back at Jim, really looking, maybe so for the first time ever. He finally sees all the love, trust and friendship the other projects at him and his heart threatens to swallow his whole being at once as he is consumed by his own feelings for the blond idiot in front of him.

And Leonard just can’t hold back anymore, they’ve wasted way to much time with this dancing around each other, so he catches the blond’s lips with his own and lets himself fall into feeling the other so close to his frantically beating heart.

When Jim eagerly kisses him back, it roars with joy and love so Leonard pours just a bit more of his soul into the kiss.

It is far from perfect, but it’s them and they’ve always been enough for each other, even in times they didn’t know.

He’s breathless when they part and he’s sure that he’s never been so happy before.

“Jim, why didn’t you tell me?”

And Jim just smiles that wistful smile, the one that started his path of confusion and love.

“I didn’t thought you could love me. Bones, I’m such a mess. How could you ever love me?”

Oh, what an idiot that stupid genius is.

“Kid, I’m not really a catch either. I’m a grumpy old man that loves complaining way too much.”

He’s a bit afraid voicing those thoughts out loud, but the gorgeous man in front of him just keeps smiling and pecks him softly on the nose.

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t want to have you any other way.”

Leonard leans in for another kiss, but this one is sweet and chaste and doesn’t last as long as the first. But that’s ok, as they have all the time in the world from now on.

“So, are you coming home to Georgia with me?”

As he breathlessly utters his question, Jim lets out a joyful laugh and he can’t stop the bright smile that’s blooming on his own face.

“There’s no one I’d rather spend the holidays with.”

tags: @thevalesofanduin @medicatemedrmccoy @toosouthernforspace 

If anybody else wants to be tagged in my fics just let me know. :)

P.S.: I’m really contemplating if I should write a short second part with Jim’s pov including lots of pining and angst.

#mckirk #jim kirk #leonard mccoy #academy era #christmas fluff

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 19 March 2018

Quick Bits:

30 Days of Night #4 gets into the first assault on Barrow from the vampires. It’s bloody and beautifully illustrated by Piotr Kowalski.

| Published by IDW

Avengers #685 is a whole load of fun and despair as a large portion of the US Avengers team (and Lightning, Vision, and Quicksilver) attempt to stave off the assault of the Immortal Hulk. It really feels like we’re headed towards the endgame now and the braintrust of Mark Waid, Jim Zub, and Al Ewing are just churning out an epic. Also, the art from Paco Medina, Juan Velasco, and Jesus Aburtov is gorgeous.

| Published by Marvel

Avengers: Back to Basics #2 concludes the first arc with Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor attempting to stop Fenris and the Disir from bringing about Ragnarok. It’s a fun and action-oriented story from Peter David, with some great humorous moments, and the art from Brian Level (with colours by Jordan Boyd) is pretty much worth the price of the book alone. Great panel compositions and page layouts that greatly help the issue’s story feel meaty.

| Published by Marvel

Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack #7 gets us close to the end, but of course it’s not as easy as rescuing Egg Shen and defeating Ching Dai, there has to be funny misadventures, in-fighting, and heaps of betrayal.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Cable #155 is pretty damn great. It begins the “Past Fears” arc from the new creative team of Zac Thompson, Lonnie Nadler, Germán Peralta, and Jesus Aburtov and leaps headlong into Cable’s past mixing it up with some body horror. Thompson and Nadler have a nice grasp on Cable and Hope’s characters, showing off their heart and stubbornness. Peralta’s art puts the book over the top, though. 

| Published by Marvel

Dark Fang #5 brings to an end the first arc of the series, finally giving the lead character a name in-story itself. It’s a bizarre approach to vampires from Miles Gunter, almost like a twisted Disney fairy tale, but it’s entertaining and has some great artwork from Kelsey Shannon.

| Published by Image

Death of Love #2 features more wacky hijinks as Philo tells his friends about seeing the little Cherubs/Cupidae and...naturally they don’t believe him. It just gets more absurd from there as Justin Jordan and Donal DeLay push the series into new and more disturbing territory.

| Published by Image

Dept. H #24 ends what has been a good series with a nice bit of quiet reflection, Mia reminiscing about her father, her first case, and morality as she struggles upward for that last leg of survival.

| Published by Dark Horse

Dissonance #2 dives deeper into the machinations of the Fantasmen as they plot and scheme to control humanity. Singgih Nugoro and Ryan Cady are laying it on pretty thick, while making you wonder what all of it is truly for.

| Published by Image / Top Cow - Glitch

Doctor Strange: Damnation #3 is basically an issue’s long fight between the damned Avengers and the Midnight Sons. There’s some nice character bits and humour thrown in. Plus, a seemingly most ineffective plan.

| Published by Marvel

Evolution #5 sees Joe Infurnari and Jordan Boyd step up their game, and the art on the series was already incredible. It seems as we go on, the designs and presentation of the infected just get more and more impressive.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Harrow County #29 returns with the beginning of the end. Emmy is trying to come to terms with her actions in the last arc, while Hester’s return heralds more nightmares to come. Tyler Crook’s artwork is stellar, horrifying and evocative, elevating the terror with each subsequent panel.

| Published by Dark Horse

Ice Cream Man #3 is weird, trading in the more traditional horror notes of the past couple of issue for absurdist science fantasy, following a washed-up, fading musician who penned a one-hit wonder as he fades into obscurity. W. Maxwell Prince’s story gets pretty strange, but it allows for Martín Morazzo to really flex his muscles.

| Published by Image

Infinity 8 #1 begins adapting in English and North America’s standard comics format the Infinity 8 series that was previously published by Rue de Sèvres, created by Lewis Trondheim and Olivier Vatine. Part of the pitch for the book is an 8-part series each containing three issue arcs. The 8 parts certainly play into the structure of the story as each part will be done by a different creative team, and focus on a recursive time loop of agents exploring a debris field.

This first arc, written by Lewis Trondheim and Zep with art by Dominique Bertail, focuses on Agent Yoko Keren, a woman looking for a compatible mate among the ship’s crew so she can get pregnant and basically retire better off than she is currently. She gets to be the first guinea pig for the Captain’s time loop exploration of the debris, and it gets a bit weird when some of the ship’s complement of aliens decide that eating it is of the utmost importance. This story is weird sci-fi in the vein of Heavy Metal, but to me the draw is Bertail’s art. I’ve really been enjoying Bertail’s art in Ghost Money and he proves equally adept with wacky space stuff.

| Published by Lion Forge / Magnetic Collection

Iron Fist #78 jumps head first into Danny’s unresolved issues in what’s probably the best Damnation tie-in thus far. Ed Brisson uses the chaos of the event and the trigger of the penance stare to dredge up Danny’s feelings and reactions to what he considers his loss and failures, giving some really deep cuts into continuity in an organic, natural fashion. The art from Damian Couceiro and Andy Troy is also up to the heavy lifting. The layouts and panel designs at the beginning of the book as Danny navigates the surreal landscape of his memories and fears are particularly impressive.

| Published by Marvel

James Bond: The Body #3 has some great art by Rapha Lobosco, in the first of two series that have his work this week. His art is in a similar style to Eduardo Risso and it lends itself well to this dark tale of neo-Nazi arms dealers from Aleš Kot.

| Published by Dynamite

Kick-Ass #2 asks some important questions as Patience backslides into justifications for her criminal behaviour. Mark Millar steps up the moral quandary from just the vigilantism of the original Kick-Ass, even as she later protects a child from an abusive father figure.

| Published by Image

Lucy Dreaming #1 is fun. For starters, it’s nice to see Michael Dialynas again on another sci-fi/fantasy series after The Woods, even if it is just a limited series. His art naturally lends itself to the fantastical and it pays off in spades in this first issue, with nice designs for aliens, starships, and more. It’s also great that Max Bemis is bringing more of that weirdness and altered realities from his works like Centipede here. I’m really looking forward to seeing where this goes from here.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

The Mighty Thor #705 will break your heart. Epic storytelling and gorgeous art. Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman, and Matthew Wilson should be proud.

| Published by Marvel

Ninja-K #5 brings the battle to the Acclimation Bureau and sparks off a deadly confrontation between Ninja-C and Ninjak. Christos Gage and Tomás Giorello bring this first arc to a stylish conclusion.

| Published by Valiant

Pathfinder: Spiral of Bones #1 brings the adventuring party back for a new expedition, this time far beneath Kaer Maga, the City of Strangers. Crystal Frasier is a new voice to the Pathfinder comics, but old hat to the roleplaying game, so she slides in nicely to the writer’s chair here. There’s a good amount of set-up and humorous banter as the Iconic character Imrijka is introduced in the comic as an old friend of Valeros.

| Published by Dynamite

Punks Not Dead #2 gets into more of Fergie’s ordinary life and the supporting cast of characters at his school and beyond. David Barnett fleshes them out fairly well, setting up some interesting hooks for what might be coming next. Combined with Martin Simmonds artwork, this series really is a must buy for anyone who enjoyed the British supernatural flavour of mid to late ‘90s Vertigo or the later series Vinyl Underground.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

Regression #8 sees Adrian explore the nature of the cult and their grounds a bit more, although there is a weird bit in that he’s seemingly all right with the past lives, the demons, the cult itself and such, but apparently an orgy is a bridge too far. Death, murder, and demons are copacetic, but as soon as sex is introduced, Adrian wants to bug out. I’m hoping that Cullen Bunn does more with that theme in a future issue.

| Published by Image

Rumble #4 mainly deals with the fallout from Bobby’s injuries, with John Arcudi penning a growing divide between Rathraq and Del. David Rubín’s art perfectly capturing the insanity and the heart of the entire situation.   

| Published by Image

Runaways #7 begins the “Best Friends Forever” arc with the team trying to adjust to their new status quo and “normal” life. Rainbow Rowell is great at these kinds of interpersonal relationships and it makes for an entertaining read.

| Published by Marvel

The Spider King #2 is more glorious madness blending Vikings and bizarre alien technology. The artwork from Simone D’Armini just fits this action perfectly.

| Published by IDW

Summit #4 concludes the first story arc, with Val coming to the realization of Lorena’s motivations and Foresight’s shadiness that readers of the broader Catalyst Prime line already know. It comes a bit suddenly after a moment of misdirection, but it makes more story sense to get Val back to her friends at the MIT labs.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

Tales of Suspense #103 is that issue that tells us exactly what has been going on with Black Widow while Hawkeye and Winter Soldier have been running around chasing after her body count. It’s kind of dark and has some fairly complicated potential Alien Resurrection style implications. Matthew Rosenberg still throws in some humour with Ursa Major, but this one’s really an opportunity for Travel Foreman to showcase some of the darker end of his skill set.

| Published by Marvel

TMNT Universe #20 continues the excellent “Service Animals” arc from Ian Flynn, Dave Wachter, and Ronda Pattison that’s getting to the core of what Null has been doing, and providing an interesting, humanizing look at Raphael and Alopex. The art from Wachter and Pattison is wonderful. There’s also a great back-up from Matthew K. Manning, Adam Gorham, and Brittany Peer that tells a humorous and heartfelt tale of Raph trying to get some sleep.

| Published by IDW

Thanos #17 is the penultimate chapter of “Thanos Wins”, featuring both Thanoses against the Fallen One, with a few surprise guests. Geoff Shaw really gets the opportunity again to showcase just how damn good he is at action and spectacle.

| Published by Marvel

Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden #1 is the first of the series to follow the series of series format Dark Horse tends to use for Mike Mignola’s Hellboy universe. Regardless of the approach, this still has the same great Stan Sakai taste. Ostensibly we’re dealing with some fugitives, and a secret package, being tracked down by agents of the shogunate, but we’re light on details so far and high on mystery.

| Published by Dark Horse

Vampirella #11 is the second of the books illustrated by Rapha Lobosco this week as he and Jeremy Whitley bring this current volume to a close. This issue serves as a recap of Vicki’s adventures with Vampirella as she comes to a new understanding of herself, opening up to find a solution for the fake heaven and missing God problem.

| Published by Dynamite

Weapon H #1 is probably better than any one would have thought as ridiculous a concept as a Hulkverine would be. Spinning out of the “Weapons of Mutant Destruction” crossover and subsequent Weapon X follow-up arc, this series follows Clay, a former soldier and test subject for some mad science experiments blending Hulk and Wolverine DNA. Greg Pak blends those two aspects in the story itself, taking elements from both the Hulk and Wolverine legacy, and wisely begins this with a new take on the tale that introduced Wolverine to the world in the pages of Incredible Hulk with a new Wendigo. The art from Cory Smith, Marcus To, and Morry Hollowell sticks the landing.

| Published by Marvel

Witchblade #4 continues the trend of being another great issue of this series. Caitlin Kittredge is beginning to get into the meat of the lore behind the Witchblade and the thirteen Artifacts, tying the reboot in to the mythology of the original Witchblade/Darkness universe, while also fleshing out more and more of Alex’s backstory. The art, again, by Roberta Ingranata and Bryan Valenza is some of the most beautiful on the shelves today.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Other Highlights: Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #17, Archie #29, Babyteeth #9, Berlin #22, Corto Maltese: The Golden House of Samarkand, Descender #28, The Further Adventures of Nick Wilson #3, Ghostbusters: Answer the Call #4, Go Go Power Rangers #8, Incredible Hulk #714, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Fairies #4, Kill or Be Killed #17, Mata Hari #2, The Mighty Crusaders #4, Monsters Unleashed #12, Monstress #15, Moonshine #8, Ms. Marvel #28. Outcast #34, Quantum & Woody! #4, Southern Cross #14, Spider-Gwen #30, Star Wars #45, Star Wars: Poe Dameron #25, Superb #8

Recommended Collections: Aliens: Dead Orbit, Black Science - Volume 7: Extinction is the Rule, Giant Days - Volume 7, Harrow County - Volume 7: Dark Times A Coming, Iron Fist - Volume 2: Sabretooth Round Two, Moonstruck - Volume 1, Rick & Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It, Spider-Men II, X-Men Blue - Volume 3: Cross Time Capers

d. emerson eddy is doing stuff, Lori. Things!

#This Week in Comics

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 14 August 2017

It’s been a bit of a rough year, and through various personal, professional, and international roadblocks, I’ve neglected a lot of the writing in areas not directly associated to work. 

While time has certainly been a problem, it’s also kind of hard to write as a hobby or writing for analysis of critical entertainment when there are so many problems going on in the world right now. It’s hard to write about something like comics when Rome is burning around you, even if you’re the barbarian at the gate who is being denied entry. Sorry, that’s a bit of a mixed metaphor, but I don’t really want to go into further details at the moment.

Anyway, after this week, I need a sort of distraction and I’ve decided this is going to be it. With all of the hell that’s been going on, I want to contribute at least a little something constructive, a little something positive, before we’re all forced to go outside and melt.

My two favourite books of the week were Divinity #0 by Matt Kindt & Renato Guedes and Spy Seal #1 by Rich Tommaso. 

For a while now, I can safely say that the relaunched Valiant Comics has been my favourite publisher of a shared universe within the superhero genre. You can argue that they branch out more into pulp-themed territory, with tinges of other adventure, horror, and sci-fi genres, but at the core I still consider it to be a superhero universe. 

There’s something about the way that they approach their story construction, events, universe, and individual issue storytelling that reminds me of some of the more inventive pushes into the comics medium during the ‘80s, including works like Matt Wagner’s Grendel, Howard Chaykin’s American Flagg, the Daredevil and Batman work from Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli, many of the ‘80s DC “new format” series, and the stuff published by companies like Comico and Eclipse.

Divinity #0 reminds me off all of that greatness that has been being published by Valiant since Robert Venditti & Cary Nord launched X-O Manowar #1 back in 2012.

More specifically, it recaps the last three Divinity series as well as checking in on the current situation for some of Valiant’s prime movers like Aric, Bloodshot, Ninjak and Toyo Harada as it propels the universe forward to the next step of Eternity. It’s a nice palette cleanser before we move on to the next big thing at Valiant.

It also helps greatly that the painted art through the issue by Renato Guedes is gorgeous.

And then there’s Rich Tommaso’s Spy Seal #1 which is just a fun, well-written, funny animal thriller.

Quick Bits: 

All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #8 gives us a taste of the art from the artist who will be taking over as regular ANGOG artist when the series joins the Marvel Legacy initiative, Marcus To. I think there’s some more Greg Smallwood and Rod Reis between now and then, but it’s nice to see To here. He does a great Rocket Raccoon and the level of emotion and concern conveyed in his portrayal of Groot towards his friend is incredible. Gerry Duggan’s script is no slouch either. 

| Published by Marvel

Astonishing X-Men #2 is indeed the jarring shift in artwork from last issue’s Jim Cheung to this issue’s Mike Deodato Jr., but I can’t deny that the art still works for the story. I’m not sure how well this experiment will work overall, but as single issue episodic comics, it’s not much of a detriment at the moment. It helps that Deodato is providing an evolution of his style similar to what he used on Thanos. It’s dark, moody, evocative, and uses an impressive mix of regular hatching for shading and Zipatone dots. His recent output is probably the best artwork of his career. 

The story from Charles Soule also deepens, with this rag-tag group of X-Men entering the Astral Plane to confront the Shadow King. Unbeknownst to them he’s using them as puppets to play a game with a familiar face. There’s an interesting meta-narrative presented by Soule on nostalgia and repeating familiar tropes and situations that feels like a commentary on not only current movie practices, but also the call to doing the safe, samey thing in comics. It takes Astonishing X-Men beyond just being a well-written X-comic. 

| Published by Marvel

Genius: Cartel #1 is a nice return to Destiny Ajaye from Marc Bernadin and Adam Freeman with newcomer on art, Rosi Kampe. This first issue sets up a different scenario and situation, putting Ajaye into what amounts to be what looks like a black ops training site for her new “owners”, The Madrasa Institute. It’s an interesting counterpoint to something like Think Tank and Bernadin & Freeman continue to write Ajaye as a compelling, complex character. I’m interested to see where it goes from here. 

| Published by Image Comics/Top Cow.

Gwenpool, The Unbelievable #19 does something wonderful that bucks a trend. Sure, it’s a good comic from Christopher Hastings and Gurihiru, but this issue transcends that. This issue gives a future villainous version of Gwen pants. I love that. It completely upends the notion that when female heroes “go bad”, they tend to wear less and less clothes.

| Published by Marvel

Kill the Minotaur #3. Just look at that art. Just look at it. Lukas Ketner is a beast.

| Published by Image Comics/Skybound

Mage: The Hero Denied #1 reminds me that I should go back and read the earlier volumes. Not because of any confusion, but because this first issue is just that good and I want to be reminded of some of the previous heights. Newcomers and old readers alike should find enjoyment here in Matt Wagner’s other epic.

| Published by Image Comics

The Mighty Thor #22 ratchets up the growing tensions, featuring a battle between the Thors (Jane & Volstagg) and Sindr. It feels like we’re finally coming to a head with several of the narrative threads since Jason Aaron started Thor: God of Thunder, but then a large portion of this volume of The Mighty Thor has felt that way. The artwork from Valerio Schiti is also stunning.

| Published by Marvel

Regression #4 is one of four of the books by Cullen Bunn this week and it’s easily the best of the bunch. Not to say that there isn’t fun to be had in the other three, but the artwork of Danny Luckert and Marie Enger elevates this to a different plane.

| Published by Image Comics

Revolutionaries #7 is still the glue that holds together IDW’s Hasbro-verse. It’s also a reminder that Ron Joseph should get more exposure. And that last page reveal is one of the best I’ve seen in comics for a very long time.

| Published by IDW

Sheena - Queen of the Jungle #0 continues Dynamite’s current trend of relaunching their licensed characters by embracing a legacy presentation at first and then giving it a new wrinkle. As such, we’ll have to really wait and see where Marguerite Bennett and Christina Trujillo are taking the story, but there’s still a lot to like here in the zero issue. Especially Moritat’s art.

| Published by Dynamite

Silver Surfer #13 is going to dropkick you in the heart. Dan Slott & The Allreds deliver up an emotional penultimate issue of the series.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Black Cloud #5, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #8, Curse Words #7, Descender #23, Luke Cage #4, Magnus #3, Motor Girl #8, Rockstars #6, ROM #12, Royals #6, Secret Weapons #3, Southern Bastards #17, Star Trek: The Next Generation - Mirror Broken #3, TMNT: Dimension X #3, Ultimates 2 #100, US Avengers #9, Winnebago Graveyard #3

Recommended Collections: Dead Inside, Night Owl Society & Namesake

d. emerson eddy realises that despite all his rage, he is still just a rat in a cage.

#This Week in Comics #Divinity 0 #Spy Seal 1

[eddycurrents]

Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus - Chapter One

Story: Mike Mignola | Art: Jason Armstrong | Colours: Dave Stewart | Letters: Clem Robins

Originally published by Dark Horse in Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus #1 | September 2007

Collected in Lobster Johnson - Volume 1: The Iron Prometheus

Plot Summary:

1937. The Lobster rescues Jim Sacks, the current operator of an experimental energy suit, from an assault by German agents and weird cult members, learning that the scientists working on the suit’s energy source have already been captured.

Reading Notes:

(Note: Pagination is in reference to the chapter itself and is not indicative of anything found in the issue or collections.)

pg. 1 - Love these establishing shots, not only setting up the tone and feel for the time period, but for the overall noir approach to the story. Nice use of shadow, details for period architecture and vehicles, and that darker colour scheme.

pg. 1-2 - The shadowy introduction for Sacks is wonderful.

pg. 3 - The change of the guy following Sacks from a normal person to this demon ape thing is an amazing visual.

pg. 5 - The colour scheme change to the yellow wash for the action sequences is pretty neat. Jason Armstrong and Dave Stewart really bring this to life, with some great sound effects from Clem Robins.

pg. 7 - The amount of time that it takes Sacks in order to get his suit up to speed adds a nice amount of tension to the battle between Lobster and the ape-thing.

Also love that lightning effect.

pg. 8 - I find it funny that even after Sacks electrocuting the guy, the Lobster still needs to do his branding thing.

pg. 9 - It’s always Nazis. But not just Nazis.

pg. 10-11 - Nice set up for both the Lobster’s network, but also the other goons zeroing in on Sacks.

pg. 12 - Just great action here.

pg. 14 - It’s neat that Lobster Johnson’s support network seems like just ordinary people. It’s a nice situation reminiscent of the Shadow’s group of people, adding to that overall pulp feel. It’s also established here that the Lobster’s depth of knowledge is somewhat creepy.

pg. 14-15 - The change here for how the panels are presented and the colour wash are neat for the flashback.

And we get a Shadow/Batman disappearance for the Lobster.

pg. 16 - The flavour Mignola adds here of cannibals in the sewers is creepy. It builds something unexpected as a throwaway line that may or may not be explored again later.

pg. 17 - Nice headquarters.

pg. 18 - Trademark Mignola bringing in folklore and history (even if manufactured) to enrich the story.

pg. 19 - Hsing’s daughter looks like she’s floating. Also her coloration is very ghostly.

And we get a name for the Lobster’s antagonist for this arc. That name’s probably going to be important.

pg. 20-21 - More integration here of other elements of the Hellboy universe as per the Vril energy from Atlantis. (It’s also worth noting that this is also a reference to the science fiction novel, The Coming Race by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, that served as an influence to Helena Blavatsky’s theosophists and in turn Mignola’s structure for Hyperborea and Atlantis).

pg. 22 - I think it’s interesting for the Lobster’s story that we get a reprise of the red colour wash as per Sack’s flashback, but not the change in the panel borders.

pg. 24 - Love the juxtaposition of what’s going on at the bad guys’ lair and Sacks and Lobster getting ready.

Final Thoughts:

Although this series came after Hellboy: Darkness Calls, and overlapped with the release schedule of BPRD: Killing Ground and BPRD: 1946, Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus really signalled a broadening of the Hellboy universe. Not only did it bring back a fan-favourite character in the Lobster in his own series, but also heralded that series outside of the norm, outside of the contemporary Hellboy narrative, were possible and that Mike Mignola and his collaborators would be exploring all of these nooks and crannies. That’s evident here and in the subsequent releases of BPRD: 1946, Abe Sapien: The Drowning, and Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels.

It was basically an explosion of content. And it was glorious.

Hellboy was always a series that had one foot in horror/weird adventure and one foot in pulp heroics, so it was nice to see Mike Mignola go full bore into a pulp series with Lobster Johnson. Nazis, secret cults, weird scientists, and a network of specialists checked off all of the boxes necessary for the genre.

Jason Armstrong’s art is also wonderful to set the tone for this period. While he only did this arc, handing off the more permanent reins to the art duties to the equally excellent Tonči Zonjić, he really brings that shadowy, stylized comics noir sensibility to the story. His style shares some of the same verve and deceptive simplicity of Alex Toth, Darwyn Cooke, Michael Avon Oeming, and Keith Giffen, but there’s still a hint of that Guy Davis and Troy Nixey grit to it.

When combined with the indispensable Hellboy rhythm section of Dave Stewart and Clem Robins, this series was off to a great start.

d. emerson eddy knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men.

#Give 'em Hellboy #Hellboy #Lobster Johnson #The Iron Prometheus #Mike Mignola #Jason Armstrong #RaisingHellboy #72

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 23 April 2018

Quick Bits:

Abbott #4 gives us the penultimate issue to the series, dropping all the pieces together to put Abbott on the path to discovery what is going on with all the death and paranormal stuff. The layouts from Sami Kavelä just elevates the storytelling to the next level.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Aliens: Dust to Dust #1 is a fairly visceral beginning to this new min-series written and illustrated by Gabriel Hardman (with colours from Rain Beredo). It starts in terror as Maxon begins seeing violence outside his window and finds a facehugger attached to his mother, and just explodes from there with the colony world of LV-871 overrun by xenomorphs. 

| Published by Dark Horse

Avengers #690 brings both “No Surrender” and this volume of Avengers to an end, serving as a coda to the series, tying up some loose ends, saying some goodbyes--especially as many of the X-Men characters seem to be going back home--and setting up some of the things to come. This has been a great story, with some wonderful art along the way, that well-encapsulated this era of the Avengers while presenting a fairly widescreen epic. 

| Published by Marvel

Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack #8 is the big confrontation with Ching Dai and it’s...not what you’d expect. Great art as usual from Jorge Corona.

| Published by BOOM! Studio

Bloodborne #3 is filled will existential dread. Particularly with the idea of that unknown, unseen terror hanging above your head, waiting to pounce. And of monsters being everywhere.

| Published by Titan

Cyber Force #2 continues the slow burn rebuilding and reintroduction of the team and their antagonists, with this issue mainly focusing on Velocity discovering the extent of her powers and revealing the updated version of Killjoy. Like the first issue, much of the story is similar, but the details get fleshed out a bit more and the look of the characters tends to be a bit different. It does highlight the differences in comics storytelling between today and twenty-five years ago. What used to be told in a handful of panels or a throwaway line now takes half an issue.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Deep Roots #1 is another stellar debut from Vault, with absolutely gorgeous artwork from Val Rodrigues and Triona Farrell. The story...is a bit Swamp Thing-y, but not. It’s strange. Dan Watters excels at strange.

| Published by Vault

Doctor Strange #389 continues this necessary chunk of the “Damnation” event, revealing how Strange exited the depths of hell in order to get back to Las Vegas. Its structure is a bit odd, given that it’s actually told as a flashback, breaking with how the arc has been presented up until now, and it skips over what actually happens in Damnation #4, but it’s still entertaining. Donny Cates adds quite a few bits of reactive humour and the art from Niko Henrichon continues to be astounding.

| Published by Marvel

Doctor Strange: Damnation #4 concludes the event. I’ve enjoyed it overall, with some great moments spread across the constituent parts, but the main series itself has been told in a fairly oblique manner, leaving important details up to the tie-ins of Doctor Strange and Johnny Blaze. I don’t mind, personally, but if you’re only reading Damnation, it would feel a bit choppy. I am hoping that the tease of more Midnight Sons bears fruit. Some great art again from both Rod Reis and Szymon Kudranski. 

| Published by Marvel

Dungeons & Dragons: Evil at Baldur’s Gate #1 returns the adventuring party home and has them scatter almost immediately, leaving Minsc and Boo to find their own misadventure about the city. Being Minsc and Boo-centric, Jim Zub opts for a story that’s a little sillier than usual, but it’s very welcome.

| Published by IDW

Exiles #2 is a rather fun comic, finishing up the gathering of the team, as they hop from realities under threat from the desiccated corpse version of Galactus that is the Time Eater. The differing realities that Saladin Ahmed is playing with here transcends earlier versions with the inclusion of Wolvie, allowing for a radically different interpretation and style of comics not often included in these kinds of reality hopping stories. It gives a nice bit of comic relief and allows Javier Rodríguez to further flex his artistic muscle. Between stylistic changes, layouts, and panel transitions, this is a damn good looking comic. Rodríguez, Álvaro López, and Chris O’Halloran are making the art as adventurous as the story.

| Published by Marvel

Gasolina #7 returns with Amalia and Randy hiding out and playing house with Amalia’s nephew, who is still somehow alive with one of those alien bug things in him. It’s still kind of weird how Sean Mackiewicz is presenting this mix of oddities with a more standard crime narrative, where the aliens/whatever-they-are are just about the least important thing. It’s a nice approach, drawing out the more “normal” aspects comparatively.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Grass Kings #14 drops one hell of a bombshell in this penultimate issue. Matt Kindt, Tyler & Hilary Jenkins are ensuring that this series goes out on a high note.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Hunt for Wolverine #1 is a pretty good start to this event, even if ultimately the premise of Wolverine missing--when he’s been hopping around the Marvel Universe just missing anyone--is a little ridiculous. I mean, if he still has an Infinity Stone, despite the recent flowchart in Infinity Countdown #2, it makes a bit of sense, but otherwise... Anyway, Charles Soule, David Marquez, and Rachelle Rosenberg put together a great lead story, setting up the mystery of Logan’s missing body, and it remains to be seen how and why he actually came back. The second story, from Soule, Paulo Siquiera, Walden Wong, and Ruth Redmond then essentially sets up the spin-off series with the different teams looking for Wolverine.

| Published by Marvel

Ice Cream Man #4 serves up another cone of seriously strange horror. Like if you made beer-flavoured ice cream and topped it with bits of chocolate-covered grasshopper. This one features an outing between an estranged friend and the friend’s deadbeat dad after his funeral and it just gets more bizarre from there.

| Published by Image

Jeepers Creepers #1 is not something I ever expected to see. Although the first two movies were relatively successful, at the very least as cult horror flicks, I would have thought the surprisingly released third film and Victor Salva’s reputation killed the chance of this as a viable property that anyone would want to associate with. But here we are. In any event, Marc Andreyko pens an interesting story. Aside from the nods to the films like the Creeper’s truck, we mainly follow a grad student as he searches for connections between the Creeper and Aztec mythology. Not a bad premise, even if it feels like it’s coming from left field. The art from Kewber Baal, with colours by Jorge Sutil, is also pretty nice.

| Published by Dynamite

Kill or Be Killed #18 takes a bit of a sidestep as we head toward the series’ conclusion. I love when Ed Brubaker starts laying out the steps in a crime, or in a case as it were, and this issue follows the task force assigned to solving Dylan’s murders, especially in the wake of the death of the copycat they closed the case with. It’s interesting how the clues are presented and followed and as usual Sean Phillips and Elizabeth Breitweiser make it look gorgeous.

| Published by Image

KINO #5 begins the second arc, changing tone a bit as the series takes a darker turn with ChrisCross taking over the art duties here. Gone are the throwback styles of old comics and now we’ve got some stranger things as Alistair Meath has realized that he’s in some sort of simulation or...something. It’s an interesting shift, even with the introduction of Meath’s family in the real world, as the series seems to take on a more realistic, and slightly darker, tone, even though the real world sequences aren’t much different from what Joe Casey wrote in the previous issues.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

The Mighty Thor #706 is a beautiful farewell to the Lady Thor, with some drop dead gorgeous artwork from Russell Dauterman and Matthew Wilson. This is a wonderful capstone to Jason Aaron and Dauterman’s run with Jane Foster and it will be interesting to see where Aaron goes next with the continuing war of the realms and the return of Thor Thor.

| Published by Marvel

Moon Knight #194 features some really nice guest art from Ty Templeton as Max Bemis pens a tale about a particularly dark period of Marc’s childhood. It’s a good single issue story dealing with some very heavy subject matter.

| Published by Marvel

Pathfinder: Spiral of Bones #2 features some really nice art from Tom Garcia and Morgan Hickman, as the story shifts to Valeros’ predicament of being dead and being mistaken for a particularly nasty individual. I enjoy how Crystal Frasier is expanding upon the Pathfinder concepts for the afterlife and Valeros’ situation is fairly funny, even if dire.

| Published by Dynamite

Sacred Creatures #6 was worth the wait. I know this series doesn’t get a lot of press, and often slips its schedule, but what Pablo Raimondi and Klaus Janson are crafting here is some pretty heady stuff, with reinterpretations of biblical epics and an entirely different take on the Nephilim and the Seven Deadly Sins (of which we learn there was an eighth this issue, Vanity, although vanity is usually just an example of pride). It’s good, it’s dense, and it’s beautifully illustrated.

| Published by Image

Strangers in Paradise XXV #3 keeps Katchoo on the path to find Stephanie Kelly. I love Terry Moore’s humour and this issue has it in spades.

| Published by Abstract Studio

Thanos Annual #1 is a collection of mostly dark humour stories of Thanos as told by a motley crew of creators, including the recently departed Thanos creative team of Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw, and a number of other luminaries like Al Ewing, Chris Hastings, Frazer Irving, Katie Cook, Kieron Gillen, and more. It’s a fun set of stories, also serving as a bit of bridge to the forthcoming Cosmic Ghost Rider mini-series.

| Published by Marvel

Witchblade #5 goes deeper in the darkness that has rooted itself deep within New York City’s underworld as Alex investigates a dirty cop, unveiling a web of corruption. We also get a really nice reveal at the end of the issue.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

X-Men Blue #26 unleashes more of Miss Sinister’s Mothervine plan across the world with secondary and tertiary mutations occurring, along with old depowered X-Men regaining powers. This feels bigger than something that’s just confined to one X-book, which is a testament to the level of storytelling Cullen Bunn is bringing here. While there are timeline quibbles, especially with Venomized going on currently that has already brought the original five back to Earth, it is entertaining to see Polaris’ new team in action.

| Published by Marvel

X-O Manowar #14 is one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking things you can read this week. Matt Kindt, Ariel Olivetti, and Dave Sharpe return Aric to Earth, but not to home.

| Published by Valiant

Other Highlights: All-New Wolverine #34, Archie #30, Babyteeth #10, The Beef #3, Black AF: Widows & Orphans #1, Crossroad Blues, Cult Classic: Return to Whisper #2, Days of Hate #4, The Despicable Deadpool #299, Factory #2, Giles #3, Harrow County #30, Hillbilly #9, Hit-Girl #3, Incidentals #8, Invincible Iron Man #599, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Coronation #3, Legion #4, Lockjaw #3, Lumberjanes #49, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Annual 2018, Now #3, Old Man Hawkeye #4, The Pervert, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #303, The Prisoner #1, Reactor #3, Redneck #12, Regression #9, Rick & Morty #37, Saga #51, Shadowman #2, Sheena: Queen of the Jungle #8, Songs for the Dead #2, Spider-Gwen #31, Star Wars: Darth Vader #15, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #19, Throwaways #13, Venom #165, Venomized #4, The Wilds #2

Recommended Collections: The Damned - Volume 2: Ill Gotten, Dead of Winter: Good Good Dog, Fear Agent: Final Edition - Volume 1, Goldie Vance - Volume 4, Hack/Slash: Resurrection - Volume 1, Heavy Vinyl, Jessica Jones - Volume 3: Return of the Purple Man, KINO - Volume 1: Escape from the Abyss, Lazarus Sourcebook Collection - Volume 1, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Volume 5, Spirits of Vengeance: War at the Gates of Hell, Star Wars: Darth Vader - Volume 2: Legacy’s End, Stumptown - Volume 2: The Case of the Baby in the Velvet Case

d. emerson eddy wonders.

#This Week in Comics